The past few weekends, I’ve started sitting at Grandma’s so she’s not left alone while Mom goes to church. And I’ve discovered something that I used to know, years ago when I did some house-sitting, but had forgotten: there’s great pleasure to be found in hanging out alone at someone else’s house.
Yes, technically, I’m not alone at Grandma’s — but she spends 90% of her time lightly dozing in bed, so I’m pretty much free to amuse myself however I like. And I’ve been reveling in watching an hour and a half of HGTV.
You see, when you’re at your own home, there’s always that knowledge in the back of your mind that there’s something else you ought to be doing — laundry, cooking, cleaning, and a million other little necessities. Even when I declare it relaxation time, there’s a certain amount of prioritizing: watching that Netflix DVD that’s been sitting on the desk for a week; reading those 3 books I started but never finished; reading those other 5 books I bought but never read; or watching that DVD I had to have — you know, the one that’s been sitting in the unopened case for the past 6 months. But at Grandma’s, there’s no internet and no DVD player — and so if I leave the books behind, there’s nothing to stop me from experiencing blissful, guilt-free enjoyment of HGTV.
I’ve found my silver lining, and I’m delighted with it.
